Articles Written by Katie

About Katie: Katie has been a product and textile designer, an art restoration specialist, and an interior designer/merchandiser. Her interests are focused on finding well designed items that improve daily life as well as reading fiction and making stuff. (View Profile)

Marmoreal Collection by Max Lamb

Like the look of this side table? Well, tough, you can’t have it. Just kidding, you can have it, you just need to fork over $3Gs for it. Marmoreal is an engineered, multipurpose marble developed by Max Lamb (and facilitated by Dzek), and is comprised of large chunks of Italian marble fragments— in the palette of green, red, ochre, and white you see above. It’s stronger than natural marble as polyester resin bonds the material together. You might hate it, you might love it, but one thing’s for sure, it will certainly set the tone in whatever room it’s in. A few more pieces of the collection shown below.(more…)

MilkMaid Stool Custom

I’m such a sucker for small wooden stools, mostly because they offer quite a bit of versatility. Side table or extra seating, whichever you need, a little stool can be handy to have around. These custom milking stools by grayworksdesign are a variation of the traditional three-legged stool that we all are familar with, but the design is updated just enough to fit into any room, be it rustic or modern. Engraving is also offered should you wish to make it a special gift.

MATT Pen Holders

How about a ring to round up your pens and pencils? The MATT collection is made of black soft plastisol, a textured, somewhat flexible material that feels like rubber. Choose between the Ring, $45, or Oval, $59.(more…)

Aer Duffel Pack

Your gym shoes stink. Don’t feel bad, it happens to everyone. However, that smell shouldn’t keep you from working out before, during, or after work. The Aer Duffel Pack keeps the smelly clothes and shoes separate from your laptop and office essentials, all in one bag. There’s the main compartment for clothes and such, a ventilated shoe pocket, a padded section for laptop and tablet, and a side easy-acess pocket for smaller items.

Wasara Sale

You needn’t worry about the tableware for your next outdoor soiree, as Wasara plates, bowls and cups are all 15% off over at Branch Home this week. Wasara tableware is fully biodegradable and compostable, so you’ll look exceptionally smart choosing such a beautiful alternative to paper plates.(more…)

Unfold Pendant by Form Us With Love

As you might have noticed, there have been a few posts lately from the recent and oh-so-long-ago past. That’s because it’s August, and, thankfully, that means it’s time to take a much needed vacation. So, instead of doing all brand spanking new posts each and every weekday, you’ll be seeing some content being fixed and updated and peppered into the line up, which is a good thing unless you like finding a lot of broken links every time you sift through our site.

All that to say that, thankfully, this Unfold Pendant remains at the same price as it was three years ago. Happy day. It’s one of my favorite lights because of its soft silicone shade. That allows this industrial look-a-like pendant to be easily folded, saving space in shipping (or your own moving) boxes.(more…)

Pixo LED Table Lamp (black/brass)

With the new color pairing of black and brass, the Pixo looks like it has put on its tux (or little black dress) and is ready for a night out. As you might remember from our previous post last year, the standout feature of the Pixo is not necessarily the 360 degree rotation and three-axis articulated stem; instead its USB port in the base for charging mobile devices seems to set it apart from the pack.(more…)

Cedric Walnut Desk

If you’ve a decent budget to spend on a desk, turn your eyes toward the Cedric. Rounded edges provide subtle detailing, giving it a quiet craftsmanship that makes it the sort of piece you’d pass down to the next generation. Made from solid European walnut; choose between a dark brown or orange leather top (and lined drawers, a nice detail).(more…)

Melting Mug by Studio Arhoj

The thick glaze of the Melting Mug will hopefully give you a better grip so you don’t spill your tea/coffee all over your desk/boss/coworker. Each mug is made of hand-cast porcelain and will fit nicely in the hand, especially as the mug is similar in shape to traditional Japanese Yunomi tea cups. Available in pink, mint, yellow, white, and gray.

ROLU Chairs

If you’re looking for a true-to-materials seating option, check out these chairs hand made by ROLU Studio. They’re extremely simple plywood and OSB chairs inspired by 70s DIY books, which has a certain minimalist charm that’s bound to add variety and interest to your interior. And, though I don’t have updated pricing at the moment, you can bet that they won’t break the bank.(more…)

Orbit Collection Bags

There are several simple messenger bags out there, and the Orbit Collection by Sputnik Zurich most definitely belongs in that category. There’s two pockets and one strap. It’s a rectangle. Don’t yawn yet, though, because the bag incorporates reflective stripes to make sure you stay visible at night. The stripes will completely surround your torso; that means you’re safer no matter what direction you (or the vehicles around you) plan to go. The front, back, and straps all have reflective material, so you’ll be able to wear the bag on either shoulder.(more…)

Bicycle Spoke Keyring

If you’ve spent a lot of time on two wheels, you might recognize that this keyring is made from used bike spokes. Just screw/unscrew the spoke nipple to add or remove keys; it’s as simple as that. And don’t go thinking you have to be a bicycle nut to have one of these- the simple reuse of a spoke is reason enough to consider it for your everyday keys. Available from scene3.(more…)

Primary Desk by Nathan Yong

This Primary Desk is an odd sort of fellow with its angles and points and slim drawers. Inspired by mid-century furniture in the designer’s childhood, the desk hits a mark somewhere in between classic and futuristic, which isn’t an easy target, to be sure. Solid walnut makes for a sturdy frame with just enough worktop space for a small computer and writing area, and five drawers are available to squirrel away odds and ends. There’s also another thoughtful detail worth mentioning: the angle of the top drawers allow for the pitch of an open laptop. Now 15% off (until July 31).

Crescendo Wall-mounted Tackboard

No matter how hard we all try to minimize bits and pieces of paper and cards and invites, they show up unbidden in our bags and on our countertops. What to do? Don’t buy a normal (boring) cork board to keep yourself organized, buy this tackboard with stripes! That’s right, it’s a tackboard, made of thin strips of industrial mill-made paper, all of which are stacked tightly together for the express purpose of holding your miscellany all in one place.(more…)